


The Last Time

by JimmyPenguin421



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Ahsoka Tano Needs a Hug, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anakin Skywalker Needs a Hug, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Dexter Jettster is cool, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, F/M, Fix-It, Gen, Goodbyes, I don't know, I hope, I'm making this up as I go, It's time to stop, Post-Episode: s05e20 The Wrong Jedi, that's an Indiana Jones quote
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:35:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24007483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JimmyPenguin421/pseuds/JimmyPenguin421
Summary: An alternate version of Ahsoka leaving the Order. May the Fourth be with you! UPDATE: This story is now a fix-it!
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker & Mace Windu, CT-7567 | Rex & Ahsoka Tano, CT-7567 | Rex & Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala & Ahsoka Tano, Padmé Amidala & Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 44
Kudos: 127





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Amalia2103](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amalia2103/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize in advance.  
> I do not own Star Wars: The Clone Wars.  
> If you're one of those people who likes to listen to music while reading fanfics, I recommend listening to "The Real Hero," by Alan Silvestri.  
> Oh, right. May the Fourth be with you! :D

“Ahsoka!”

She blinked back tears, shaking her head, not slowing down.

“Ahsoka, wait! I need to talk to you!”

He wasn’t going to stop following her until he had said goodbye.

That was Anakin Skywalker, always so caring towards those he loved, yet unable to let go.

She took a deep breath. Stopped. Turned to face him.

“Why…” he panted, bending over to catch his breath, “are you doing this?”

“The Council didn’t trust me, so how can I trust myself?” she said, looking at the ground and crossing her arms over herself.

“What about me?” he demanded. “I believed in you. I stood by you!”

She looked up at him. “I know you believe in me, Anakin. And I’m grateful for that. But I can’t stay here any longer.” Her gaze dropped back to the ground. “Not now.”

“The Jedi Order is your life. You can’t just… throw it away like this! Ahsoka, you are making a _mistake!”_

The sorrow in that last word was palpable, even without the Force.

“Maybe,” she admitted. “But I have to sort this out on my own. Without the Council…” she turned away, not wanting to see the pain in his eyes, “and without you.”

He sighed. “I understand. More than you realize, I _understand_ wanting to walk away from the Order.”

She turned, just slightly, so she could just see him in the corner of her eye. She had to get his reaction to this. “I know,” she said.

Anakin’s eyes went wide. “Wha— what’s that supposed to mean?!” he spluttered.

“Honestly, you and Senator Amidala are the worst actors in the galaxy,” she said, turning to face him with a slight smile.

He looked away, blushing, running a hand through his hair. “I should have known you’d figure it out, Snips.”

Did he know how much she missed that nickname?

“Don’t worry,” she said. “I won’t tell anyone.”

“Oh, right, because you’re leaving and there won’t be any Council for you to report to,” he said, his tone obviously sarcastic yet bleeding with pain.

Ahsoka didn’t reply. But she didn’t need to. They both already knew the answer.

After a moment, Ahsoka cleared her throat.

“Anakin… do me a favor?” she asked, looking up at him.

“You know I would do anything for you, Ahsoka,” he said.

“The galaxy needs you. Padmé needs you. So stay the amazing, loving, compassionate person you are. Don’t let the war make you someone you’re not. And don’t waste your time moping about me, because… I’ll be fine. You did everything you could.”

“No, Ahsoka, I didn’t!” he burst out. “If I had done everything I could, you would still be in the Order!”

“You _saved_ my _life,”_ she insisted. “You didn’t fail me. You never have. You are the best friend I could ever have or want. And no matter how far apart we are, just… just remember,” she took a deep breath, “I have been and always will be your friend… Skyguy.”

Force, she missed calling him that.

And judging by the choking sounds he was making, he missed it too.

“Aw…” she said, smiling. “Come here.” She stepped forward and pulled him into her arms, burying her face into his chest.

Anakin readily returned the hug, holding on to her as if for the last time.

Closing her eyes, Ahsoka tried to download every bit of this moment into her memory forever. She took in the scent of Anakin’s robes—not clean, for sure, but not unpleasant; she felt his head pressed against her montral, his arms firm yet gentle, holding her close.

Because she knew that it would be a long time before she could do this again.

But it wouldn’t be the last time.

She knew it wouldn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! Anyone catch the Star Trek quote?  
> I'm thinking of adding another chapter to make this more a fix-it and less of a heartwrenching goodbye. Thoughts?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Star Wars.

“You are under arrest, my lord,” Mace Windu growled, pointing his lightsaber at Palpatine’s throat.

“Anakin,” Palpatine called. “I told you it would come to this. I was right. The Jedi are taking over!”

“The oppression of the Sith will never return. You have lost,” spat Windu.

“No,” Palpatine growled. “No, no, _you_ will die!” He raised his hands and shot Force lightning at Windu. “He’s a traitor!”

_Oookay… he’s the traitor, but who’s the one using Sith powers?_

“He is the traitor!” Windu cried, struggling to hold back the lightning with his blade.

“I have the power to save the one you love. You must choose.”

“Don’t listen to him, Anakin!”

“Don’t let him kill me! I can’t hold it any longer.”

The lightning stopped.

“Anakin! Help me,” Palpatine gasped. “Help me! I… I… I can’t hold on any longer.”

“I am going to end this once and for all,” Windu declared, his voice hard.

“You can’t,” Anakin said. “He must stand trial.”

“He has control of the Senate _and_ the courts,” Windu said. “He’s too dangerous to be left alive.”

“I’m too weak… oh, don’t kill me, please,” Palpatine begged.

“It’s not the Jedi way,” Anakin said, trying to forget what he had done to Dooku. “He must live!”

Windu shook his head. His eyes hardened.

Palpatine’s eyes widened. “Please don’t!”

Windu raised his lightsaber.

“I need him!” Anakin cried.

He couldn’t let Padmé die. 

He had lost so many people already.

In a single moment, they all flashed before his eyes.

_ Qui-Gon. _

_ Mom. _

_ Obi-Wan. _

_ Ahsoka. _

He couldn’t lose someone he loved.

Not again.

He wasn’t strong enough.

“NO!” Anakin screamed. He went to draw his own lightsaber, but before he could, someone grabbed him around the stomach, pinning his arms to his sides. He struggled to get free, but whoever was holding on was pretty strong.

As Anakin watched, Windu’s lightsaber flashed, and Darth Sidious was dead.

“Stop struggling. You’re stuck with me, Skyguy,” came the assailant’s voice.

Anakin was so shocked that he went limp.

He knew that voice.

He had thought he would never hear it again.

Anakin tried to twist around, and the arms around him loosened enough so he could.

He turned and looked into a face he had been seeing in his dreams for the past months.

“Ahsoka,” he breathed.

She just smiled.

Anakin hugged her as best he could with her arms pinning his to his sides.

“You have no idea how much I missed you,” he whispered, his throat suddenly tight.

Silence for a moment.

“No, you have no idea how much _I_ missed _you,”_ Ahsoka said softly.

Anakin gave a little laugh.

“Oh, Ahsoka… my little snippy Snips,” he whispered, holding her tighter.

They just stood there, soaking in the joy of being together again.

Anakin didn’t know how long it was, but after some time, Master Windu cleared his throat.

Anakin let out a small groan, making Ahsoka giggle. He pulled away from her and turned to Windu.

“I swear, Master, if you say something about attachment—” Anakin began.

Windu cut Anakin off before the word “Master” even left his mouth. “Young Tano, you have saved the Republic and quite possibly the entire galaxy. You have done the duty of a Jedi.”

“I’m not a Jedi anymore, Master,” Ahsoka reminded him gently.

“Yes, and that was the fault of the Council. I cannot speak for the other Council members, but I apologize for my actions.”

Anakin’s mouth dropped open. “IT’S ABOUT KRIFFING TIME!” he screamed.

“I agree,” Ahsoka said, crossing her arms.

“I know,” Master Windu said. “But our vision was clouded by the dark side.”

Anakin leaned over to Ahsoka. “If you don’t accept his apology, I won’t blame ya,” he whispered.

Ahsoka stroked her chin in a manner that reminded Anakin of Obi-Wan. After a moment, she looked up at Windu. “I wasn’t sure at first,” she said. “But I think I can honestly accept your apology, Master Windu.”

Windu gave a nod. “It’s settled, then,” he said in his typical emotionless manner.

Anakin rolled his eyes. “Of all the…” he muttered.

“Now,” Windu went on, “we have some politics to deal with.” He gestured to what was left of the former Chancellor.

“I hate politics,” Anakin and Ahsoka said at the same time.

“Jinx!” Ahsoka said. “You owe me a milkshake.”

Anakin groaned. “You know, I thought what with leaving the Order and having to support yourself, you’d be slightly more mature than this.”

“Well, I’m not going to pass up a free milkshake. And…” she came closer to whisper to Anakin, “if we go get milkshakes, we can escape the politics and Master Windu _and_ we can catch up.”

Anakin nodded. “Dramatic exit?”

“For sure.”

“Use the window to escape Windu?”

Ahsoka raised an eyebrow.

“Watch out for wind, though,” Anakin went on, smirking.

Her eyebrow went higher.

“Are you two quite finished?” Windu asked. “We have business to attend to.”

“All right, go when I give the signal,” Anakin whispered.

“Just like the good old days,” Ahsoka whispered back.

“Yep.” Anakin straightened up and turned to Windu. “Yeah, Master Windu,” he said, “we’re just about done… with politics! HA HA! See ya!” He broke into a sprint, and Ahsoka followed. They ran past Windu and jumped out the already-shattered window.

They made sure to watch out for wind, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This kinda feels like it's approaching crackfic status. Oh well. I hope you enjoyed it!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, super-long chapter today! The length of the story has been tripled. Enjoy!  
> Right. I don't own Star Wars.

“Hey, Snips!” Anakin called over the rushing wind.

She turned her head. “You don’t need to yell,” she yelled.

“Well, why are you yelling?”

“So you can hear me over the wind.”

“Well, then I should yell so _you_ can hear me.”

“I don’t hear the wind as much. Montrals. Anyway, what were you going to say?”

“Do you remember how to catch yourself with the Force?”

“It’s been a while, but I should be fine.”

“Try it right now.”

She closed her eyes and concentrated.

Suddenly, Anakin couldn’t see her anymore. He looked frantically around.

“Hellooo…” came from above him.

He looked over his shoulder. Ahsoka was now about fifty feet above him. She had apparently succeeded in slowing the rate of her fall.

“I think I’m good,” she called.

Anakin held up an OK sign.

Then he realized that he was still falling at 9.8 meters per second per second and the ground was getting a little too close. Quickly, he slowed his fall with the Force as Ahsoka had done, but not as much as he would have liked.

“Oof,” he groaned as he hit the ground, rolling to absorb some of the impact. He lifted his head to find people staring at him.

“Uh… hey,” he said, waving awkwardly.

Ahsoka landed lightly on her feet next to Anakin and smirked down at him before addressing the bystanders. “Everything’s under control,” she said. “We’re all fine here, thank you. How are you?”

They kept staring.

Ahsoka helped Anakin up and brushed off his robes. Patting him on the shoulder, she smiled brightly at the crowd. “See? Perfectly fine.”

After a moment or two more of staring, the people around them began to go about their business again.

Ahsoka turned to Anakin. “I haven’t really used the Force in months, yet I’m not the one who lost their edge,” she said, smirking.

“Hey, that was only because I was busy worrying about you!” Anakin protested.

“Well, that’s nice of you, but I was fine. You, on the other hand, wouldn’t have been.”

Anakin rolled his eyes. “Come on, let’s go.”

“Yeah, I want my milkshake,” Ahsoka said, nudging his shoulder.

They set off in the direction of Dex’s Diner.

* * *

“Hello, hello!” Dex called in his usual cheerful manner. He lumbered over to Anakin and Ahsoka and crushed them in a four-armed hug.

“Nice to… see you… Dex,” Anakin gasped.

“Yes, yes it is!” Dex clapped them both on the back before pulling away and turning to Ahsoka. “I saw on the news what happened, young Ahsoka, and let me tell you—I never! Ever! Not for one second! thought you had done it. And I’m not just saying that because your master here proved it. I knew you would never do that. And…” he spread all four arms in an apologetic gesture, “I’m so very sorry for everything you went through.”

“Thank you, Dex,” Ahsoka said. “That means so much.” She paused. _“Aaand_ it’s also one of the best apologies I got.”

“Any time. Now, what can I get you two today?” Dex asked, leading them to a booth. “It’s on the house.”

“Oh, thank you,” Ahsoka said, “but he,” she nudged Anakin, “owes me a milkshake. Sooo…”

Dex chuckled. “All right then. I won’t take away the satisfaction of making him pay. So what’ll it be?”

“Chocolate, please,” Ahsoka said.

“Same,” Anakin said.

“Coming right up!” Dex disappeared into the kitchen.

Anakin settled down into the booth, and Ahsoka sat across from him. For a moment, neither one said anything.

“So… what have you been up to?” Anakin asked.

Ahsoka shrugged. “Not much.”

“Ahsoka Tano, stop trying to evade the question.” He grinned playfully to show that he was kidding.

“Fine. My speeder bike crashed, so I met some people, so I did some work as a mechanic. And that’s how I supported myself.”

Anakin narrowed his eyes. “You know, somehow I get the feeling you’re not telling me everything, Snips.”

She waved her hand. “Don’t worry, I didn’t do anything you wouldn’t have done.”

“That’s what scares me,” he muttered.

Just then, Dex returned. “Here you go,” he said jovially, plunking two chocolate milkshakes and a sandwich down on the table.

Ahsoka tilted her head to one side, as she always did when confused. “Sorry, Dex, but we didn’t order any sandwiches.”

“Just my way of making up for what happened.” He winked.

“Oh… thanks, Dex!” Ahsoka said happily. She inspected the sandwich. “Is this…” She looked up at Dex. “It’s my favorite! How did you remember this?”

“It’s my job,” Dex chuckled. “Enjoy!” And with that, he slipped away to attend to his other customers.

Ahsoka took a bite of her sandwich. “So,” she mumbled around her food, holding a hand in front of her mouth in a halfhearted attempt to be polite, “how are Rex and the boys?”

“Rex is doing fine. He misses you, though. They all do.”

There was an awkward pause.

Ahsoka swallowed. “Can you… tell them I said hi?” she asked.

“Ah… sorry, Snips. But no.”

“What? Why not?” She leaned forward, her brow furrowing.

“Because you can come do it yourself,” he said with a smirk.

“No,” Ahsoka said, her gaze dropping to the table, “no, you… you know I can’t do that. Not after everything that happened.”

“You didn’t even do anything, Ahsoka! They don’t blame you, because there’s nothing to blame you for.”

She didn’t say anything, just kept poking at some little imperfection on the table with her fingernail.

“And… they miss you. They all do. Even the shinies want to meet the Commander they’ve heard so many great things about.”

She took her eyes off the table to look at him. “Anakin.”

He stopped rambling.

“I can’t go back there,” Ahsoka said. “Not so soon. Maybe later, but… not now. I know they want to see me, and I understand. I want to see them too. But I can’t do that right now.”

Anakin sighed. “Okay. All right, Ahsoka.”

“Thank you,” she said softly. “For understanding.”

Anakin nodded.

Ahsoka took another bite of her sandwich.

“I’ll, uh…” Anakin said, “be right back.”

She nodded.

Anakin strolled over to the bathroom. He slipped into a stall and pulled out his comlink. “Rex?”

_“Yes, General?”_

“Bring the guys and come to Dex’s Diner. I have a surprise for you.”

Just then, someone flushed a toilet in an adjacent stall. Anakin winced.

_“Uh… sir? What—”_

“Nothing,” Anakin said quickly, “Just come. I promise, you’ll like it.”

_“Um… all right, if you say so, sir.”_

The call ended with a _beep._

Anakin left the stall and washed his hands (because why pass up an opportunity to wash your hands?). He opened the door with a paper towel (because why get your hands dirty again right after washing them?).

“Everything okay?” Ahsoka asked when Anakin sat down. Her sandwich had already disappeared.

“Um, yeah, yeah, of course, why wouldn’t it be? I should be the one asking _you_ that, my young…” His voice trailed off.

There was a moment of awkward silence as they both realized what Anakin had been about to say.

“Well, uh…” Ahsoka said, clearly trying to think of something to say. Her eyes widened. “Oh! I forgot to ask! How’s Padmé doing?”

“She’s doing fine. A bit busy, maybe, but she’s doing great, actually.”

Ahsoka smirked. “Okay, maybe I should ask… how are _you two_ doing?” She sipped at her milkshake.

“Well, it’s funny you should ask that, Snips, because…” Anakin took a dramatic pause to drink some of his own milkshake, “Padmé is pregnant.”

Ahsoka stared at him for a solid seven seconds.

Then she gasped in an overdramatic way Anakin was pretty sure she wasn’t faking before screaming, “WHAT?”

Anakin chuckled nervously, trying to ignore the turned heads of the other customers.

“Is that a yes or a no?” some random person asked.

“I’m not proposing. Go back to your sandwich,” Anakin called. He pulled up his hood and lowered his head, trying to hide from his own humiliation.

“What are you going to name it?” Ahsoka asked eagerly, leaning down so she could look under Anakin’s hood. “Is it a girl or a boy? When is it due?”

Anakin lifted his head. “We don’t know yet,” he said. “And we haven’t thought of any names.”

“Well, when’s the baby due?”

“I don’t know.”

She flopped back in her seat. “Come on, Skyguy! Don’t you know _anything?_ Just do the math!”

“What math?”

Ahsoka’s stripes darkened. “Um… never mind. Forget I asked.”

Anakin felt a flush creeping up his face. “Oh, you mean…”

“Yeah.”

“Can we… not?”

She nodded uncomfortably, then froze.

“What?” Anakin asked. “What’s wrong?”

“I can hear a gunship.” She twisted to look out the window.

Anakin threw off his hood and listened. “I don’t hear anything. And anyway, they’re not… you know, looking for you. Don’t worry.”

“I’m not worried,” Ahsoka muttered. Turning back to him, she smiled playfully. “Togrutas 1, humans 0.”

“What?”

“I heard something you couldn’t.” She tapped her montral.

Anakin rolled his eyes. “Well, just so you know, I can hear it now too. 1 all.”

“Nope. I heard it first,” she said happily. “And it’s not fair. There’s billions of humans on this planet and, like, three Togrutas. And I’m one of them.”

“Well, maybe you can go get Master Ti to help you.”

She shook her head. “No, I don’t think I will.”

Looking out the window, Anakin saw a bunch of clones from the 501st approaching with Rex in the lead. “Well, uh, then you’ll have to, um, think of other things to listen for.”

“Okay. Right now that guy right there is talking about his job. Togrutas 2, humans 0. Dex is telling the droid to come take orders. Togrutas 3, humans still 0. And I hear clone—” She frowned. “Wait a second, what?"

Rex opened the door and came in.

A collective gasp went up from the customers in the diner (with the exception of Anakin).

The other clones tried to come in too, but Rex was blocking the way. So they all just hovered in the entryway, whispering things like “what are we here for again?” and “shut up, I can’t hear.”

Rex addressed the customers, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. “Now, before you all freak out…”

The customers stood up and scrambled out through the back door.

“Or… just go ahead and freak out. Works for me,” Rex muttered, shrugging and looking around the diner. When his eyes landed on the one table that had not been vacated, Anakin felt surprise flare up in the Force.

“…Commander?” Rex said.

“Wha…” Ahsoka breathed. She turned to Anakin for an explanation.

“I think this is worth at least one point for humans, huh?” Anakin said with his practiced smirk.

Ahsoka leaped up from the table and charged at Rex, tackling him in a hug. The troopers behind him just barely managed to save him from falling over.

After a moment, Rex gasped, “Commander… can’t breathe…”

She quickly let go of his neck and pulled away, sheepishly mumbling apologies.

Rex reached up and disengaged his helmet with a _click-hiss._ He yanked it off, gasping for breath. But even after Ahsoka had nearly strangled him, he was wearing a huge smile. “Glad to… see you, Commander,” he panted.

Suddenly, Rex stumbled forward as an ARC trooper shoved him aside. “Commander, you’re here?” the ARC asked.

“Um…” She looked the ARC up and down. The giant Republic emblem right smack in the middle of his helmet gave it away. “Jesse?”

“Yeah!”

“Hey! You’re an ARC trooper now?”

“You better believe it!”

“Hey, Commander!” another called.

Anakin watched, smiling fondly, as Ahsoka was engulfed in a crowd of her joyful clone friends.

Dex came out to see what was going on. When he saw that all the other customers had left, he just chuckled. “Good thing they paid in advance,” he said to Anakin.

Anakin awkwardly ran a hand through his hair. “Uh, yeah… Sorry about that, Dex.”

“Don’t worry, Anakin. Like I said, they paid in advance!” Dex let out a jolly laugh.

Anakin nodded, smiling. “Yeah, I guess it’s their loss.” He turned back to watching Ahsoka and the clones.

“We should sit down,” Ahsoka was saying. She moved towards her previous seat with Anakin.

“No, sit in the middle, Commander!” Rex urged. A chorus of agreement went up from the others.

Ahsoka sent Anakin an apologetic look as the clones gently pushed her towards the center of the diner.

He just smiled and waved her on. Then, making sure she was watching, he reached across the table and took her milkshake.

Ahsoka’s eyes widened. “No!” she cried, pulling her milkshake out of Anakin’s hand and into hers with the Force.

“Come on, Snips, I paid for it,” Anakin fake-whined.

“Mine,” she said, taking a drink. “I jinxed you, remember?”

Anakin just smiled and shook his head. “Fine.”

Ahsoka flopped down in a seat and took another victorious slurp of her drink before turning to Rex. “So, what have you been up to?” She poked at his helmet. “Did you add anything new?”

“I _did_ add some things, but… you’ll have to find them.” He handed his helmet to Ahsoka.

She turned the helmet around in her hands, running her fingers gently over the worn plastoid. When she saw what Rex had done, her eyes widened.

Rex had painted markings onto his helmet imitating those on Ahsoka’s face. He had merged the forehead markings seamlessly into the jaig eyes, while the little wing-shaped cheek markings fit nicely into the streamlining of the helmet. All the markings were in the dark blue of the 501st (which also happened to be the same shade of blue as Ahsoka’s stripes).

Ahsoka looked up at Rex. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered. Then she laughed. “As oddly narcissistic as that sounds.”

Rex laughed. “No worries, kid. I just hope I did you justice.”

“You sure did. But… do you have a permamarker? I want to add something.”

“Go ahead, if we can find one.”

Ahsoka heard the whirring of mechanical limbs as someone approached the table. She was expecting a droid, but the voice that spoke was that of a clone.

“Right here, Commander.”

Ahsoka looked up, and her mouth dropped open. _“Echo?_ But… the explosion… how…”

“I survived,” he said.

She rolled her eyes. “No really.”

“Just… slightly different.” He held up his right arm. A compartment opened and a permamarker popped out, which he tossed to Ahsoka. “Here you go, Commander.”

She caught the marker without taking her eyes off his arm. “That is _so cool…_ I mean, it’s too bad you got injured, but that arm is great.”

“It is,” he agreed. “And my legs are the same.”

“Whoa…” she breathed. “Can you run really fast?”

“Not yet. _Buuut_ the General said he’d work on them so I could. Can’t wait.”

“That’s gonna be awesome,” Ahsoka said. She set Rex’s helmet on the table and looked at it critically. “This needs some adjustment…” she mumbled, pulling the cap off the marker. “No offense, Rex.”

“Let’s see it,” Rex said, leaning forward and clasping his hands together.

Ahsoka pushed the cap onto the back of the marker and leaned down to get a closer look at the helmet.

“Not on the visor, please,” Rex muttered.

“Wasn’t going to…” She touched the marker to the crest of the helmet and carefully wrote down it in Aurebesh: _Hi it’s Ahsoka._ “Here,” she said, putting the cap back on the marker and handing Rex’s helmet back.

He looked at her work and chuckled. “I like it. Thanks, kid.”

“Hey, Commander! Do mine too?” Jesse asked.

Ahsoka smirked and uncapped the marker again.

* * *

After Ahsoka got through all the helmets, she and the clones exchanged a lot of stories and jokes. Time flew by, and nobody showed a sign of wanting to leave.

“So I just added these here. See?” Echo said. He lifted up a cybernetic leg so Ahsoka could see the bottom of his foot. Four wheels popped out.

“Echo, don’t you have better things to do than put roller skates in your feet?” Ahsoka asked.

“You never know when it could be useful. So anyway, the other day I went to go try them out. And there’s this shiny skating. Looks like he’s not quite used to it, you know. And of course, eventually he falls.” Echo paused to take a drink of water. “No big deal, he’s fine. Except this other shiny isn’t paying attention, so he trips over him!”

Everyone (except Rex) burst into laughter.

“And _then, another_ one comes over. ‘You need some help?’ he asks. But then he trips and falls on top of them!”

The laughter intensified (again, with the exception of Rex).

“Stupid shinies,” Jesse muttered.

“It gets better,” Echo said.

Rex put his helmet on.

“So, the _Captain_ comes over and he looks down and says, ‘Stop fooling around and get up.’ But right then, for some reason, _he_ slips! He doesn’t even trip on anything. He just falls.”

Everyone except Rex roared with laughter.

“Good job, Rex,” Ahsoka gasped between giggles.

Rex just shook his head and sighed.

Echo recovered himself enough to continue. “So I go over to him and I say,” Echo had to hold back a laugh, “‘Sir, stop fooling around and get up!’”

The laughter reached a maximum.

“Okay, did you not see the floor?” Rex protested. “There was a little seam there that they messed up. Anyone could’ve fallen.”

“Key word _little,”_ Ahsoka said, wiping her eyes.

Rex sighed and slipped his helmet off. “Hate to end your mockery of me, but I think we’d better be getting back.”

Ahsoka’s smile disappeared. “No! Already?”

“Echo, what time is it?” Rex asked without even looking away from Ahsoka.

“0128,” Echo replied immediately. At Ahsoka’s questioning glance, he added, “I have implants in my brain, too. They tell me stuff.”

“Yeah, we need to be going,” Rex said. “I’m sorry, kid.”

“No, no, it’s okay, I get it,” Ahsoka said quickly. “Don’t get in trouble. And you need your rest.”

“What are you, my mother?” Rex groaned.

“I _am_ older than you…” she pointed out. Then she smirked. “Oh, and don’t forget to eat your carrots. And drink all your milk.”

Rex rolled his eyes. “We’ll see you later. General Skywalker will make sure, because we’ll all nag him about it.”

Ahsoka gave an evil smile. “Yes. Good,” she said in a creepy voice, rubbing her hands together.

Rex chuckled and stood up. “See you around, Commander.”

Ahsoka hugged him again. She raised her head, making sure to point away from Rex’s ear. “Come on, all of you guys,” she called. “It’ll take forever if we do this one by one.”

The other clones quickly gathered around and joined the group hug.

“Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay!” Jesse yelled.

“Shut up, Jesse! This is an emotional moment!” Echo snapped playfully.

“Yay! Yay! Yay!”

After a few minutes, everyone broke apart. The clones made their way to the door, calling goodbyes to Ahsoka and Anakin.

Rex was the last. He gave Ahsoka a nod. “See you, little’un.”

Ahsoka frowned. “I’m not little! I’m almost 18!”

“Okay, little’un.” He leaned his arm on top of her head.

She giggled and shoved his arm away. “Bye, Rex.”

“Bye, kid.” Still smiling, he put his helmet on and followed his men back outside.

Ahsoka turned and saw Anakin and Dex, who hadn’t really moved other than to go to the bathroom or get a glass of water.

“Oh… sorry, Dex,” Ahsoka said. “You need to close, don’t you?”

“Don’t worry,” he chuckled. “It was delightful. And I already did most of the closing.”

“Thanks for having us.”

“Any time!” Dex said jovially, going back into the kitchen.

“All right,” Anakin yawned. “Let’s get going.” He stood up, stretching.

Ahsoka stared as Anakin somehow managed to pop his knees, elbows, neck, and back at once.

“What?” he asked, lowering his arms from his stretch.

“Nothing.”

“Okay. Thanks, Dex!” Anakin yelled as he made his way to the door.

“Thank you!” Ahsoka called, following Anakin.

 _“You’re very welcome!”_ came the muffled reply.

_Thunk._

_“AAH! Kriff it, this is a diner, not a junkyard! What’s that doing there?”_

Anakin laughed. “Come on, Snips.”

They stepped out into the cool Coruscant air.

“So, where you staying?” Anakin asked.

“I have an apartment.”

He nodded. “You know, you could stay with Padmé. She wouldn’t mind.”

“No, that’s okay,” Ahsoka said.

“Nope. I insist.”

“No, really, it’s fine.”

“But I insist as your friend.”

“It’s not even your house.”

“Well… it kind of is, if you think about it.”

Ahsoka sighed. “Okay, fine, but just to make you stop begging.”

“Yay! Come on, let’s go find a taxi.”

* * *

“Ahsoka!” Padmé cried, pulling her into a warm hug. “It’s so good to see you!”

“It’s good to see you too, Padmé,” Ahsoka said, smiling brightly.

“Come in, please.” Padmé led Ahsoka and Anakin into the living room. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Anakin cleared his throat. “Ahsoka would like to stay here tonight, if that’s all right.”

Ahsoka gave him a look. “I can talk, you know.”

“But you didn’t.”

“You didn’t even give me time!”

“Okay,” Padmé said, looking like she was trying not to laugh. “You are most welcome to stay, Ahsoka. You can use the guest bedroom.”

Ahsoka smiled awkwardly. “Thank you, Padmé, but… do you mind if I sleep on the couch?”

Padmé blinked. “No… of course not. May I ask why?”

“It’s just… your couch looks really cozy,” Ahsoka replied awkwardly, staring off at nothing.

Padmé laughed. “It’s fine. I’ll go get some blankets.” She left the living room, followed by Anakin.

Ahsoka sat down on the couch, leaning against a cushion. She took off her boots and pulled her legs up in front of her, resting her chin on her knees.

She meant to wait for Padmé.

But before she knew it, her eyes were falling shut.

* * *

Ahsoka was awakened by the sensation of moving.

She opened her eyes sleepily.

Padmé was holding on to her legs, while Anakin had her shoulders. They seemed to be shifting her position on the couch.

“Wha…” Ahsoka mumbled, squirming.

“Shh,” Padmé said softly. “Just getting you settled.”

Anakin carefully slipped a pillow under Ahsoka’s head. Padmé picked up a blanket and gently tucked it around her.

Ahsoka smiled to express her thanks and snuggled into the blanket, closing her eyes again. “Night,” she murmured.

“Good night, Ahsoka.” Padmé rested her hand on Ahsoka’s arm, rubbing it gently.

“Sleep well, Snips.” Not to be outdone, Anakin laid his hand on top of Ahsoka’s head, his thumb tracing little circles on her forehead.

As Ahsoka drifted off, her last thought was that these were her two favorite people in the whole galaxy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anakin, Padmé, and Ahsoka... a happy little family :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. Hello. It's been a while since I updated this story, and I kind of forgot about it.  
> You know, it's kind of funny. This is probably The Last Time I'll be posting for a while, because school starts on Monday... :/ I'm actually kind of looking forward to it, though, because I was somehow starting to get bored with summer.  
> Anyway, here's a short fluffy happy everything-is-beautiful-and-nothing-hurts ending! Enjoy!

As Ahsoka woke up, the first thing she registered was warmth.

She was warm all over.

And comfortable. She was very comfortable. _Too_ comfortable. Whatever she was lying on was very soft, softer than her bed.

Why would she not be in her bed?

And more importantly, where was she now?

She opened her eyes and found herself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling.

No. Not entirely unfamiliar. But not the ceiling of her apartment, either.

It was the ceiling of a senatorial apartment.

Padmé’s apartment.

And then Ahsoka remembered.

Sidious.

Windu.

Anakin.

Rex.

Jesse.

Padmé.

Anakin.

If she hadn’t been lying on the couch in Padmé’s living room, she would’ve wondered if the whole thing was a dream.

But here she was. It had to have been real.

Tentatively, she poked at her bond with Anakin. She was hit by a wave of emotions that mirrored her own—hope and shock and joy.

And then she was leaping off the couch, running for the bedroom where she sensed Anakin, because he was here, Padmé was here, everything was okay.

Ahsoka saw Anakin and Padmé rushing towards her, but she didn’t slow down, just held out her arms and ran towards them.

They collided in the doorway and fell to the ground, laughing and crying and holding each other as if they would never let go.

There were no words. There didn’t need to be.

Ahsoka was sandwiched tightly between Anakin and Padmé, and she loved it. Never had she had felt more content and safe.

And as she closed her eyes and leaned into Padmé and Anakin’s arms, she could tell that they felt the same way.


End file.
